The contest has ended! Thank you for all you amazing stories! Some were scary, some - tragic, some - terrifying, but all were absolutely awesome!

Every participant got a Cursed Sword png as their prize.

I also got entries for the second stage of the contest. I planned to choose one winner, but ended up drawing all these cute bottles! You can have a look at them (and download if it's your contest entry) here -

Thank you for taking part in my contest! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did! ^^

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The voting chose SWORD as the prize for this contest, so here it is! -

But how can you get it? What are the rules?

CONTEST RULES

Stage 1

So we've got a pretty sword here, but it's cursed!

Your task is to describe this curse: what does it do to the unfortunate owner? You can write a few sentences or a short story, you can describe only how the curse works or add details of who and how enchanted the sword. You can also create a name for the sword.

Post your comment here, under this Journal!

Your prize is the Sword png, without watermarks and background! Every participant will get this sword!

Stage 2

This stage is for those who want to draw! Your task is to create and draw an elixir which can purify the cursed sword.

The drawing can be digital or traditional, it must be created by you! Don't copy, redraw or use other people's ideas!

On this stage there will be only one winner! I'll chose the potion I like the most and I will draw it in my style for you!

Post your arts here, under this Journal!

You can take part in both stages or only one - as you like! The contest will end on 1 November.

So, good luck, everyone! I'll be waiting for your drawings and stories!

First of all, I wanted to warn you that prices on my downloadable stock will rise very soon! So far it's only 100 points (which is around 1$) while most of my stocks are sets with many different items or colour variations, so I decided to raise the prices. But I don't want to do it without notifying my watchers. So I'm making this announcement and will introduce new prices on Monday. So you have time to purchase stocks you like at a lower price! Here are all stocks - www.deviantart.com/rittik-desi…

On Monday I'll make changes in the Stock folder. I decided to split my stock into three groups:

- sets will cost 200 or 300 points (depending on how many items are in a stock)

- single items and small sets will cost 100 points

- free stock will remain free of course!

By the way I'm going to upload a series of Potions stocks soon!

2. Halloween

Are you getting ready for Halloween? This year I'm going to hold a mini-contest for you, so don't miss your chance to get a special design! ^^

The contest will start around 29-30 October. I'll post a special Journal with all details!

The information below is for NON-COMMERCIAL commissions (commissions described here are for personal use only!)

If you want to commission designs for a commercial project (books, cards, games, etc), please read information on commercial commissions - [link]and contact me via a Note or at rittik-designs@mail.ru

Please make sure to read the Terms of Service - [link] and look at Price list - [link]

I. COMMISSIONS (WAITING LIST)

1. Getting a slot in the waiting list Just leave a message here in the comments! I'll add you to the list.

When your turn comes, I'll send you a Note. If you don't answer within 48 hours I will remove you from the list! One slot = one or several designs (up to 5 items).

*** wait for your turn ***

I can't say how much time it'll take - depends on how many people are above you on the list and how many items I should draw for them.

If you don't want to wait - read about High Priority Commissions below.

2. Discussing the sketch.

When your turn comes, I'll contact you to talk about your commission and make a sketch.

You must provide a reference! Sorry, but I can't draw from description! I don't ask for a detailed lineart, it can be just a rough sketch or a picture from Google. I draw many kinds of different items, you can see examples in my gallery and price-list. You can also ask me about other items, like wings, gems and so on.

After I complete a sketch for your commission, I’ll send it to you for feedback. At this stage, please tell me about any changes you’d like me to make, because later it will be much more difficult to correct the design.

3. Sending the payment

After you’ve approved the sketch, you should send the full payment.

Payment is available with DA points (Commission Widgets) and USD (PayPal).In the price-list you can see general guidelines (prices depend on designs' complexity). I can tell approximate price before starting work, but I'll be able to name the final price after the sketch is finished and edited if necessary.

4. Delivery of final design You'll get full-sized pictures with and without background and without watermarks. If necessary, I will provide glowing and non-glowing versions.

Please, be patient! I always try to do commissions as soon as possible, but I have real life and job as well! Estimated time for completion is from 2 days to 2 weeks at the latest. If it takes longer to complete your commission for any reason, I will contact you.

II. COMMISSIONS (HIGH PRIORITY)

If you don't want to wait, you can get a commission out of turn! In this case you don't have to book a slot in the Waiting list - just send me a Note and commission any item you want!

You can commission up to 3 items for High Priority commissions.

Getting a High Priority commission costs additional 10$ per each item! (it means you'll have to pay full cost for the design plus 10$ for getting a commission out of turn)

The process is the same as for Waiting list commissions (references -> sketch -> payment -> finished design), except you don't have to book a slot and wait.

I. GENERAL TERMS

Before you commission art from me please read carefully the Terms of Service! By commissioning me, you are agreeing to the terms of service below.

II. DESIGNS

You don't have to get a slot in the Waiting list, you can order your commission out of turn.

You can contact me here by sending me a Note or write to rittik-designs@mail.ru I have a right to refuse or cancel your commission (if payment has been sent, I'll make a refund)

III. PAYMENT

The currency accepted is USD and DeviantArt points (1$=100 points). If you prefer money, please pay through PayPal If you use points, please pay through the Commission Widgets in my profile page. (You may need to choose several of them to match the price) Payments for commissions should be send after I finish the sketch. Colouring will only be started once payment is received. No refunds (unless I cancel your commission and in this case you will get a full or a partial refund, depending on how much of your commission I've finished) After the commission is finished, minor changes are still possible, but I will do them for an extra fee.

Basically prices start from 50$ for simple designs and up to 100-150$ for complex designs.

However, prices are negotiable. They depend on designs' complexity, time limits, amount of work and so on.

IV. DELIVERY

All items are digital works (png files for adoptables and non-commercial commissions, png and psd with layers for commercial use). All commissions and adoptables are sent via either Note or e-mail as a link to the completed work. Buyers and commissioners get full-sized pictures with and without background and without watermarks. Depending on the amount of work, estimated time for completion is from 2 days to 2 weeks at the latest. If it takes longer to complete your commission for any reason, I will contact you.

V. COPYRIGHT / USAGE POLICY

Please credit rittik-designs.deviantart.com as the creator of the original design. You can use the artwork for commercial use as agreed. I reserve the right to use finished arts and process work in my portfolio, social media sites and galleries, etc.I may reuse sketches and other works that were rejected by the commissioner for other commissions or personal work.

I. GENERAL TERMS

Before you commission art from me please read carefully the Terms of Service! By commissioning me, you are agreeing to the terms of service below.

This information is on NON-COMMERCIAL commissions! If you want to use arts for commercial purposes, please read ToS - Commissions (commercial use) - [link]

II. DESIGNS

Please, make sure to read the ToS and price list before asking for a commission! I use a Waiting list, so you need to book a slot. When your turn comes, I'll contact you to start the commission. You can book a slot here - [link] I have a right to refuse or cancel your commission (if payment has been sent, I'll make a refund)

III. PAYMENT

The currency accepted is USD and DeviantArt points (1$=100 points). If you prefer money, please pay through PayPal If you use points, please pay through the Commission Widgets in my profile page. (You may need to choose several of them to match the price) Payments for commissions should be send after I finish the sketch. Colouring will only be started once payment is received. No refunds (unless I cancel your commission and in this case you will get a full or a partial refund, depending on how much of your commission I've finished) After the commission is finished, minor changes are still possible, but I will do them for an extra fee.

IV. DELIVERY

All items are digital works (png files). Commissions are sent in a Note or via e-mail as a link to the completed work. Commissioners get full-sized pictures with and without background and without watermarks. Depending on the amount of work, estimated time for completion is from 2 days to 2 weeks at the latest. If it takes longer to complete your commission for any reason, I will contact you.

V. COPYRIGHT / USAGE POLICY

Please credit rittik-designs.deviantart.com as the creator of the original design. You can use the artwork for personal use only unless agreed otherwise (contact me to discuss commercial use). You can use the concept in your pictures, stories, RP forums, personal projects, etc. You can use the png image (my drawing) as clipart in your pictures and personal projects. You can also submit it to your DA gallery. You can rename the item, make a description, recolour it, add or remove minor details. You are not allowed to resell designs, but they can be gifted to another person (please, contact me to inform about the new owner).

I reserve the right to use finished commissions and process work in my portfolio, social media sites and galleries, etc.I may reuse sketches and other works that were rejected by the commissioner for other commissions or personal work.

I. GENERAL TERMS

Before you purchase an adopt please read carefully the Terms of Service! By buying adoptable designs, you are agreeing to the terms of service below.

II. DESIGNS

Check the adopts' status - (OPEN) or (CLOSED). It it is a set of several different adopts, I'll put the buyers' names next to designs which have been sold.

Information about adopts is in the artist's comment. Also I write there if it's an auction, offer-your-price or sale with fixed prices.

I don't resell already sold adopts, but I can draw another item in the same style as a commission. I can reserve adopts for you and hold it for several days (up to several weeks for friends and trusted customers).

III. PAYMENT

The currency accepted is USD and DeviantArt points (1$=100 points). If you prefer money, please pay through PayPal If you use points, please pay through the Commission Widgets in my profile page. (You may need to choose several of them to match the price) Payments for adopts should be send within 48 hours. No refunds I can do colour changes for an extra fee.

IV. DELIVERY

All items are digital works (png files). Adoptables are sent in a Note or via e-mail as a link to the completed work (only after getting the payment). Buyers get full-sized pictures with and without background and without watermarks.

V. COPYRIGHT / USAGE POLICY

Please credit rittik-designs.deviantart.com as the creator of the original design. You can use the artwork for personal use only unless agreed otherwise (contact me to discuss commercial use). You can use the concept in your pictures, stories, RP forums, personal projects, etc. You can use the png image (my drawing) as clipart in your pictures and personal projects. You can also submit it to your DA gallery. You can rename the item, make a description, recolour it, add or remove minor details. You are not allowed to resell designs, but they can be gifted to another person (please, contact me to inform about the new owner).

In this journal I hope to answer any questions you might have about me and my art!

Are you a professional designer?I'm a self-taught artist. Of course I lack necessary basis, but I learn on my mistakes.

Where do you get inspiration?I get inspiration in dreams, books, nature - almost everywhere. Ideas are around us! They are waiting to be noticed

Most of your items are not realistic! Why?Yeah, that's because they are magical! Only powerful wizards can use them!(to tell the truth, I just draw designs and don't pay attention to logics and physical laws. I want them to look beautiful/funny/magical)

What program do you use?It's Photoshop 6.0. I also use SAI, but prefer Photoshop because there I can use styles for metall and glass effects.

Where do you take textures and styles?Can you share them?Textures are mostly taken from an amazing site with free stock - lenagold.ru/As for styles - some are taken from different free resources, but most of them I made myself.

If you use textures, brushes and photoshop styles, it means your designs aren't art? You just mix pre-made elements together?

I don't think so. I create a design from scratch to a finished product. Most photoshop styles which I use are made by myself. Brushes and textures help a lot, but my arts aren't based on them.

How long does each drawing take?

Mostly I spend about 3-4 hours in total (from a sketch to a completed piece), but it can take up to 10-12 hours (or 1-2 for potions and other simple designs).

I usually work on each item for a few days, part by part.

Do you do tutorials? Sorry, I don't do tutorials! Mostly because I don't have enough free time and when I get some I prefer to spend it on adopts and commissions. Also it would be very difficult to explain what I'm doing, especially when it comes to photoshop styles (their effects depend on many different details, from picture's size to curves on Contour pop‑up panel).

Can I draw my own amulets, potions and weapons? Can I use your designs and ideas?When my arts inspire people, I feel really happy! Of course I won't mind if you try drawing your own designs.But if someone just traces a design or uses an idea with a few minor changes, it's not inspiration, it's an art-theft.

Can you teach me to draw? Or look at my arts and correct my mistakes? Or just give advice? I'm sorry, but I'm not a profeccional artist and I don't think I can be a good art teacher. The only advice I can give - draw as much as you can! Practice makes perfect.

Do you give points or free arts?Please, don't beg for points or arts! You can wait for a giveaway or take part in a lottery! I also have stocks which are free to use.

Do you take Requests, Commissions or Art-Trades at the moment?I don't do ATs and requests, sorry!

Commissions are always open - check the Navigation Journal for more information.

I hope I covered most of the questions I usually receive. Don't hesitate to ask any other questions so I can add them to the FAQ!

When I opened this account and started posting designs, a lot of people said that I should work in game industry. But I didn't believe that a self-taught amateur like me can ever take part in a real game project. Well, I still don't believe it, but look - it happened! My designs are in a game and it's absolutely fantastic! More pictures and details here - www.kickstarter.com/projects/g…

I designed and drew different keys for this game. Here you can see some of them:

I want to thank Sean Howard for giving me this opportunity! This project is a great fun! I faced challenges and difficulties, but I also got lots of fun and priceless experience and I really enjoyed creating all these keys. And I'm glad and proud to be a part of this awesome project.

And I hope it won't be rude if I asked you to support this project. It's on Kickstarter now and the goal is almost achieved. Sean and his team has done an excellent job creating this game and I also put a lot of time and effort in the keys. I'll be so happy to see that this project comes to life! If you can help, it will be great! Here is the project on Kickstarter - www.kickstarter.com/projects/g…

In February I started a contest - Contest! (finished)I got lots of absolutely awesome designs and I spent long hours trying to choose the winner. But now I'm ready to name the winner!

But first of all I want to thank everyone who took part in my contest. I loved all logos you made for me! It's really amazing to see how many creative ideas you found! Here you can look at contest entries - rittik-designs.deviantart.com/…Every contestant will get a small prize from me! Thank you for participating!

And now the winners... That was the hardest part, because I loved all designs. Each logo was unique and each was beautiful and creative. Unfortunately, I had to decline many awesome designs, because they look great in full-size, but details weren't seen in smaller variants. Finally I chose several logos that I loved the most.So...

-----The third place and the prize of 300 points:I really loved this design. It's simple and elegant and would look great in any size or colour.

-----The second place and the prize of 500 points:I totally like this "puzzle". It's compact, accurate and creative!

-----And the winner who will get a free commission (from any price category) from me:It's not the only logo where "T" letters were turned into swords or sword parts. But this variant is absolutely awesome! It looks like a signet and I think it's the perfect logo for me!

So, here is my new logo!

-----

Thanks a lot for taking part in my contest! I think I'll make more contests in future and I hope you'll join them!

Aww, it's evening already and I have to admit at last - that was an April Fool's joke! I'm talking about this thing:"OMG I accidentally broke my tablet! Now I can't draw!I tried using mouse, but it's absolutely impossible to draw with it! You can see the results...I need your help now! If this picture gets 1000 faves, my mom will buy me a new tablet! So... "

Actually my tablet is working and, well, even with a mouse I could draw something better than that. So why did I do it?

First of all, for fun of course! A lot of people have guessed it's a joke and even played along

Second, it was so wonderful to see how many people are eager to help. You're all great! I really appreciate all these faves and kind comments you gave to me! So nice to know that DA is a big loving family where people love and support each other!

And third reason. Actually I got the idea for this joke long ago when I faced this strange opinion that having a tablet can make you an artist. It sounds a bit stupid, but I've met a lot of people who really believe it! They are sure that they can't draw well only because they don't have a tablet!So I wondered if people would believe that I lost all my skills because of a broken tablet.

And finally... I didn't expect that this "1000 faves" joke will really work. Of course. it's too many favourites for such shitty picture. But it got more than 300 faves which was unexpected for me! So I decided to make a little gift to show my gratitude! I redrew this sword and now I'm uploading it as a free stock. You can download it and use for free!

PS I drew it using only the mouse. No tablet! (which wasn't actually a big problem, because I mostly work with vector shapes)

Well, first of all - Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I wish you luck and joy, love and friendship, and tons of inspiration!

Do you remember my journal about Christmas experiment? You sent me lots of wonderful characters, thank you for trusting me! Now it's time to show what I did to them. So, here they are - your characters turned into gingerbread cookies! A little gift for this Christmas and New Year! In my stash you'll find your character in full size - sta.sh/22a1jgi0sct1

At first I wanted to make only a few of them, but later decided to use almost all characters that you sent to me. Unfortunately, I couldn't draw a few OCs, because the reference was black and white and somewhere I couldn't even find the ref. I'm really sorry for that!

The prices listed below are NOT for commercial projects. Commissions described here are for personal use only!

My rate for commercial artwork begins at 50-60$ and up to 150$ per item depending on complexity, planned usage, amount of items and time limits. If you want to commission designs for a commercial project (books, cards, games, etc), please contact me here via a Note or write to rittik-designs@mail.ru

WEAPONS AND ITEMSMagic weapons of any kind for your characters or personal projects.

Potions and poisons (simple bottles)Bottles with simple shapes, without ornaments (or with simple decorations) Price: 5-7$ or 500-700 for 1 bottle (depends on the design's complexity) What you get: png image 600x700 (with and without background)Examples:

Potions and poisons (detailed bottles)Bottles with more complex shapes and detailed ornaments Price: 10-15$ or 1000-1500 for 1 bottle (depends on the design's complexity) What you get: png image 600x700 (with and without background)Examples:

Diadems and tiaras Price: 20-30$ or 2000-3000 (depends on the design's complexity) What you get: png image 1300x600 (with and without background)Examples:

Amulets, jewelery and other trinketsPrice: 20-40$ or 2000-4000 (depends on the design's complexity) What you get: png image 750x900 (with and without background)Examples:

Swords, axes and hammersPrice: 20-40$ or 2000-4000 (depends on the design's complexity) What you get: png image 800x1350 (with and without background)Examples:

Bows, scythes and polearmsPrice: 20-40$ or 2000-4000 (depends on the design's complexity) What you get: png image 900x1350 (with and without background)Examples:

Exotic weapons (shurikens, chakrams and war fans)Price: 20-35$ or 2000-3500 (depends on the design's complexity) What you get: png image 1000x1000 (with and without background)Examples:

Lightsabers and wandsPrice: 15-25$ or 1500-2500 (depends on the design's complexity) What you get: png image 700x1350 (with and without background)Examples:

Staffs and sceptersPrice: 20-40$ or 2000-4000 (depends on the design's complexity) What you get: png image 700x1350 (with and without background)Examples: Keyblades and keysPrice: 20-40$ or 2000-4000 (depends on the design's complexity) What you get: png image 750x1010 (with and without background)Examples:

OTHER DESIGNSI DON'T DRAW clothes and characters! But you can ask me about wings, gems, guns, books, rings and so on. If you have references, I can draw many different items!

GLASS FIGURINESYour character as a cute glass statuette. Only for animals!Price: 20$ or 2000 What you get: png image 900x750 (with and without background)Examples:

MATRYOSHKA DOLLSYour character as a doll - send me your OC reference and I'll turn her into a cute matryoshka. Only for female characters!Price: 10$ or 1000 What you get: png image 760x1000 (with and without background)Examples: